


Roots In My Heart

by aheadfulloffollies



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Paperwork, Plants, contains spoilers, cuteness, how do tag, magic oooo, uhhhhh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:14:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27071809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aheadfulloffollies/pseuds/aheadfulloffollies
Summary: Perfuma stumbles upon Scorpia trying to grow succulents in an attempt to impress her.
Relationships: Perfuma/Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31





	Roots In My Heart

Scorpia wasn’t good with plants.

It was something she was maybe a little  _ too _ embarrassed about. It wasn’t as if anyone, Perfuma included, was judging her for not being a genius with vegetation. It was probably to be expected, considering she hadn’t even known what lettuce was until a few months ago. (The Hoarde, she now realize, had not fed them particularly well.) Even still, sometimes she felt as if there was some integral thing missing from what would truly connect her to Perfuma.

She was sure that if these insecurities were voiced to anyone, she would be met with nothing but reassurance. That was something people did- Catra, even- a lot nowadays. It took some (okay, a lot) of getting used to. So did having a girlfriend, and  _ Catra _ having a girlfriend, and both the concept and existence of such things as tomatoes and apples. And, of course, there was the fact that she had actual, real friends who were good to her.

There were people who  _ cared _ . Gosh, it was the greatest thing she ever could have wished for. Better, even.

But for all her happiness and wishes come true and new love of fruits, Scorpia could not understand how to grow plants.

And so here she sat, staring at the succulents she’d ruined within a week, on the verge of tears and wondering what had gone wrong. Was there some rare gene she had that made her incapable of maintaining plant life? Was it a symptom of the Hoarde? Maybe there was something in the paperwork. She really should have read that paperwork more carefully.

Sighing, Scorpia glanced around as if the walls of her new room at Bright Moon might give her the answer. At this point, anything was possible and anything would help.

Eventually returning her gaze to the plants after discerning that the walls would not, in fact, give her the answers to gardening, she stared at the grey and withered things inscrutably. Maybe she could will them back to life somehow?

“Come on, come on,” she whispered, wondering vaguely if there was a quota on wishes that might be granted in one’s lifetime and whether or not she’d reached it yet.

A soft knock on the door broke Scorpia out of her stupor, and she glanced away from the plants, a bright smile climbing onto her lips. Only one person knocked like that. “Yeah, you can come in!” she said cheerfully, scooping the succulents into her arms and quickly stuffing them into a nearby closet. It was awkward, but less so than Perfuma walking in to ten dead cacti, still in their little ceramic pots, and the overwhelming scent of failure.

Perfuma caught her just as she was closing the closet door. “What’s that?” she asked.

“Oh! Um, nothing! Just a dress. You know how they are here on Bright Moon, so many dresses! Back in the Hoarde I wore one thing every day and rotated through five copies of it. Princess Prom was the first time I wore something other than the uniform in months.”

She frowned. Perfuma hated hearing stories about the Hoarde. She said it was because they had done so much harm to the people she loved, and she hated to think of them hurting.

Scorpia always tried not to think too hard about the implications of her possibly being one of those people she loved.

Thankfully, both women were good at focusing on the positive.

“Oh! Can I see? You know I love your fashion sense. I feel like I always wear the same type of dresses, it gets so old.”

“What?! Who told you that? Did someone tell you that?” Scorpia’s mind raced. How dare someone insult her girlfriend!? “Your dresses are so flowy! They’re like water, or flower petals, or a cloud. Aw, remember that one from my first party here? The pink and gold? You should wear that one again. Not every day, like the Hoarde, but you looked so nice in it.” She smiled fondly, recalling the sunny memory. That had been such a nice day.

Perfuma laughed, her giggled spilling out like actual pockets of joy. Scorpia couldn’t help the look that crossed her face. How did she get so lucky?

“No, silly! I just feel like that sometimes because I like simpler colours and designs. But I’m glad you like them. I loved that pink and gold dress too. But don’t think you can distract me, I still want to see your new one! Unless you’re saving it for a special occasion.”

_ Yes.  _ An out. She might have wiped her brow if it wouldn’t have been too overbearingly obvious. “Oh! Yes. Special occasion dress, definitely. Wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise! It’s, for… um, it’s for this… dinner! That Glimmer’s holding. Yeah, yeah, a dinner. With lots of, uh, vegetables.”

Perfuma raised an eyebrow.  _ Crap. _ Had something given her away?

“Scorpia. You ramble when you’re nervous, and Glimmer doesn’t even like vegetables.” Placing her hands on her hips, she leveled the most intimidating look she could muster on her girlfriend. “What are you hiding?”

She shuffled, scratching the back of her head. “Nothing! Nothing. I think Emily’s hiding something though. Ooh, maybe she has a date! She’s been really fidgety with me lately, keeps running off-”

“ _ Scorpia. _ ”

There was nothing she could do, even if she wanted to. It was just too hard to lie to Perfuma. “I was just trying it out! Trying to get better. It’s not a big deal or anything…” She opened the closet door, revealing the dead succulents hastily shoved inside minutes prior. She blushed slightly and turned away. “I just didn’t want to disappoint you! You’re so  _ good _ with plants. You even have plant magic! And I didn’t even know what a carrot was six months ago. I felt like I should try to make it up somehow.”

Perfuma gasped, a hand covering part of her face involuntarily. She carefully stepped forward and knelt, growing the cacti again within mere moments. “Oh, Scorpia. You didn’t need to do that. I like you no matter how good you are with plants. I didn’t like cacti until a few months ago anyway.”

She had been about to protest, but got caught up in that last comment instead. Perfuma, not liking a plant!? That seemed like a foreign concept. She had to know more. “Really?”

“Yes. I had to learn to like them in the Crimson Waste, but I really only managed it when I realized how complicated their root system was! They’re just so  _ prickly _ .” She shivered, wrapping her arms around her chest. Scorpia stared and tried to comprehend this.

“Is that way I couldn’t grow them? Because of the roots?” She frowned at the succulents, as if she could see the roots now just by looking at them again.

Perfuma laughed and smiled again. “No. You’re just not good at growing plants yet. But that’s okay! You don’t need to be good at plants. I do that enough for the both of us, and you’re good at so many other things instead.”

Scorpia sighed. “I know. I just felt like if I were good at something like you were, we might have more in common, and then you might want to keep me around longer. I mean, I was in the Hoarde! I only had Catra for a friend, and I sent Entrapta to Beast Island, and yeah, I might give great hugs, but what’s the use when no one ever wants them?!” She shook her head, feeling tears sting the back of her eyes. “I thought if I was good with plants, then maybe I could be a step closer to being something as good as you; or at least good enough to deserve you. But I guess that was useless, huh?” She rubbed the back of her neck, looking away as she felt a blush rise in her cheeks.

Perfuma placed a hand on her arm gently. “Scorpia,” she said. She looked down and saw the slightest wetness in her eyes. Was that because of her?! Oh, God. She had never meant for that to happen.

“Scorpia. You’re the greatest person I’ve ever met. You’re so kind and brave and strong! And I don’t care if we don’t have a lot in common. I’ll  _ always  _ want your hugs, and you’re cuddles, and your kisses.” She smiled softly, a quiet sort of warmth enveloping them both.

“I don’t care if you can’t grow plants or understand the roots of a cactus. You have roots of your own, right here in my heart, and that’s all you need.”

Scorpia felt her eyes well up. Looking down at her love, she saw only confidence, reassurance, kindness. Perfuma meant it. Maybe she wasn’t useless at growing things after all, if she had created a root Perfuma didn’t want to leave.

“Thank you,” she said, certain there were no other words (though she could definitely say a few anyway if she weren’t so choked up).

“Of course,” Perfuma replied, letting Scorpia wrap her arms around her willowy body in one of those great hugs. “You’re amazing, Scorpia.”

“Never as much as you,” she said, a smile on her face and in her voice. “You have roots in my heart, too. And you didn’t need magic to put them there.”


End file.
